Trump's tantrum was sparked by a New York Times report about speculation that Cohen could end up cooperating with federal investigators.

The Times is "going out of their way" to destroy Cohen and his relationship with Trump in the hopes of making him "flip."

The FBI raided Cohen's home, office and hotel room earlier this month looking for evidence of fraud. Trump called the raid an assault on attorney-client privilege and "an attack on our country."

Trump accused the newspaper of using "non-existent "sources"" in its story.

Several people were quoted on-the-record in the piece.

Trump also lashed out personally at one of the Times's writers.

He called reporter Maggie Haberman "third rate," claimed he has "nothing to do with" her and misspelled her name in tweets he later deleted and reposted.

The New York Times and a third rate reporter named Maggie Haberman, known as a Crooked H flunkie who I don’t speak to and have nothing to do with, are going out of their way to destroy Michael Cohen and his relationship with me in the hope that he will “flip.” They use....

Haberman, who is part of a Times team that won a Pulitzer prize for her reporting on the Russian investigation, said on Twitter that the story seemed to have "touched a nerve."

The FBI raid on Cohen reportedly included records related to payments Cohen made in 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom allege having had sexual encounters with Trump, as well as his ownership of taxi medallions.

Cohen is reportedly being looked at for bank fraud and campaign finance law violations.

The investigation is tangentially connected to special counsel Robert Mueller's larger probe into Russian election meddling and connections between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

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Cohen's attorneys have asked a federal judge to appoint a so-called special master to decided what materials can be viewed by prosecutors.

Some close to the President fear his fixer could cooperate if he faces serious charges.

"That's what they'll threaten him with: life imprisonment," lawyer Alan Dershowitz told Politico. "They're going to threaten him with a long prison term and try to turn him into a canary that sings."